Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 28, 1992 TAG: 9202280171
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
GOP'S ANDERSON NOT TARGETING BOWERS
Don't count on Republican Willis "Wick" Anderson to make Democrat David Bowers the issue in the campaign for mayor of Roanoke.Anderson said Thursday he plans to run a "spirited and vigorous" campaign, but he won't personally attack his Democratic opponent.
He doesn't want his campaign to be viewed as part of a stop-Bowers movement.
Some business leaders are worried that Bowers' candid and outspoken style could alienate the business community and hamper economic development. Before the Democratic mass meeting last weekend they preferred Vice Mayor Howard Musser, and now are supporting Anderson.
Republican leaders want Anderson to hammer Bowers for his ties to organized labor and his appeal to blue-collar voters and class differences.
Anderson said he will focus on the city's future and issues such as economic development, jobs, schools, taxes and the Hotel Roanoke renovation project.
"I don't view my nomination as a mandate to make David the issue," Anderson said. "There are enough issues to keep us busy."
Anderson, a former Democrat who switched parties in 1984, is not close friends with Bowers but is acquainted with him through membership in the Roanoke Kiwanis Club.
"We have a cordial relationship, and I expect it to remain that way," Anderson said. "I don't want this campaign to turn into a personal rivalry."
Anderson, 63, was still a Democrat when Bowers was chairman of the city Democratic Committee from 1981 to 1983.
Bowers said he also intends to run a positive campaign that will focus on issues. "Voters are tired of negative campaigning," he said.
Meanwhile, Musser is trying to determine if there is enough support for him to run as an independent. He said Thursday he has authorized the circulation of petitions to gather the necessary signatures of 125 voters in case he decides to enter the race.
Musser said he will announce his decision Tuesday, the deadline for independents to get into the race.
Anderson, in talking about the kind of I don't view my nomination as a mandate to make David [Bowers] the issue. There are enough issues to keep us busy. Willis "Wick" Anderson GOP mayoral candidate campaign he intends to run, declined to comment on Bowers' anti-establishment style and appeal to working-class voters.
"My emphasis is going to be on unity and community spirit. I want to minimize divisions and emphasize the things that will unify the city," Anderson said.
Anderson said he hasn't forgotten how to run a campaign, although he has been out of public office for 20 years. He was on City Council from 1958 to 1962 and in the House of Delegates from 1963 to 1971. He was mayor from 1960 to 1962 - before the mayor was elected directly by the voters.
Anderson has run eight times in Roanoke elections - five general elections and three primaries - and has won all of them. He's lost two bids for the 6th District Congress seat, first in 1972 and again 10 years later.
Anderson, general counsel for Shenandoah Life Insurance Co., said he will spend as much time on the mayoral campaign as he thinks is necessary. His work hours are flexible, and he has vacation time available.
Although some GOP leaders said they had to plead with him to run, Anderson said he was not dragged into the race.
"I wanted to give it serious consideration, and I wanted to see if others were interested" in seeking the nomination, he said.
Anderson is running partly because he believes the Republicans have a winning ticket for City Council and needed a mayoral candidate to top it. The GOP ticket is: Councilwoman Elizabeth Bowles, Beverly Lambert and Delvis "Mac" McCadden.
Anderson said he will seek the support of working-class voters, even though Bowers has the backing of the Roanoke United Central Labor Council and the Roanoke Firefighters Association.
His campaign will focus on the need for the city to recruit businesses and industries and to work with existing businesses to help them expand.
"I don't think Roanoke will ever be another Charlotte, because we don't have enough level land; but I'd like to see faster growth in population," he said.
Although Roanoke's population has remained flat, he said, the city's role as a regional commercial, financial and medical center has expanded in the past two decades.
As the campaign proceeds, Anderson said he will have specific proposals on the issues. He said there seems to be consensus on projects such as the Hotel Roanoke renovation and the related conference center, but the discussion is centered on how they will be done.
Keywords:
POLITICS